Keep Breathing
by mdiggory
Summary: Set before the Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly episode. Brooke trys in vain to deal with the attack on her own.Brachel fic though not graphic
1. Chapter 1

**Keep Breathing**

**A/N: the title is from the Ingrid Michaelson song Keep Breathing**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the creators of OTH**

The storm is coming

But I don't mind

People are dying

I close my blinds

All that I know

Is I'm breathing now

She sat in her car for what seemed like hours staring blankly at the large white river-house. Drumming her fingers nervously against the steering-wheel Rachel mumbled her rehearses speech over and over again in a desperate attempt to stall for more time. As the sun slowly sets over the port she notices every light in the house being turned on. "Weird" she thought, "but I guess she's not concerned about the electric bill" Taking one last deep breath she ran a hand through her auburn hair, gives the rearview mirror a wink and steps out of her car.

Each step to the front door felt like one second closer to a death chamber, she paces in front of the door and before she loses what little bit of courage she has mustard, she reaches out and abruptly knocks on the door. "Okay, just breathe Gattina. It's Brooke, of course she's gonna be pissed, what with the way you just bailed and stole over a hundred grand from her but it's Brooke. She'll forgive you, she's your best friend. Right and friend is just fiend without the r, look how long she stayed mad at Peyton and they had been tight for years." Rachel snorts as she remembers the total annihilation of that life long friendship over a freaking guy who was in no way good enough for Brooke, in Rachels' opinion but then again she's a bit bias. Nervously tugging on the cuff of her jacket she hears the sound of faint footsteps making their way to the door.

"Who's … who is it?" a tentative voice asks. Rachel frowns at the unfamiliar tremor in the distinctive voice that she would recognize anywhere. She decides to set that tidbit aside for the moment and with as much bravado she can fake calls back,

"Hey Davis open up already I'm freezing my perfectly formed ta-ta's off out here." then she waits with baited breath as there's a bit of shuffling on the other side of the door and in the next moment the sound of several dead bolt locks are being turned. "Curiouser and Curiouser" she thinks as she counts four in total. "Bet Vamptoria filled her head with thoughts of me coming back to steal her Milanos' , then again I'd need a forklift to get that collection out of…." her sardonic thoughts are interrupted as the door finally opens to reveal a very bruised and battered Brooke Davis. Gone was the dazzling smile and too cute for their own damn good dimples that haunts Rachels' dreams. The once expressive greenish/hazel eyes are dull , somewhat glazed, puffy surrounded by multicolored bruises standing out against her once flawless skin.

Brooke waits in silence expecting Rachel to have the same reaction as everyone else has had at her appearance. Completely bored with this entire ordeal she mentally begins to list off the general census of emotion every other person she's been close to seems to have done; first, is shock, because really she looks grotesque. Second, is concern, because 'OMG you're my friend and why didn't you tell me' and insert appropriate concerned statement here. Third is fear/impatience because 'yeah yeah yeah hurry up and say you're fine already so that I can get back to talking about myself and/or my life.' She knows it's a little unfair to think this way about her friends but really can't they see that she is so far from being fine. A cool gust of wind blows off the river and Brooke unconsciously wraps her arms around her aching ribs the cold air making her bruises throb. It's beginning to get dark out and her eyes sweep the shadows looking for an unseen phantom poised to attack. She's just about to close the door and retreat into her brightly lit fortress of solitude when a low growl catches her off guard.

"WTF! Who did this to you." Startled by this new and unknown reaction to her physical appearance as of late, she stumbles for the excuse that seems to satisfy the others. Pulling herself up to her full 5'5 height she tries to breeze by the question with a simple, "What? This, oh it's nothing I fell down the stairs. The question is what are you doing here Rachel?"

"Don't pull that bullshit with me Brooke, who did this to you? Was it that bartender? Did he hit you, I swear to God if he did this I'll break every bone in his body!"

Brookes' jaw drops, she is completely unprepared for this confrontation. Leave it to Rachel Gattina to push her out of her comfort zone and demand the truth no matter how ugly it may be. Standing in the doorway with her fiery red hair blowing in the wind refusing to back down and totally ready to do battle with whomever hurt her friend Rachel looks like an avenging angel and in that moment it was the most beautiful sight Brooke has ever seen.

"It wasn't… I told you I fell down the stairs and hit like every damn step on the way down. Besides Owen and I have been over for a while now so..""Don't give me that crap Brooke Davis! I don't know what kind of freaky funhouse you live in here but the last time I checked stairs don't put handprints on one's body!" Rachel huffed. Feeling cornered and coming to the realization that she wasn't going to be able to skirt around the issue for much longer Brooke turns on her heel, retreating back into the house throwing a scathing look over her shoulder to her unexpected guest.

"What are you even doing here Rachel, I'd thought you'd be halfway to Heriontown by now, or did you take a detour to Crackwhore City." she hissed.

Rachel, undeterred by the insults, follows her into the house and slams the door. Taking a deep breath to calm the rage boiling inside of her at the sight of _her_ Brooke, she looks around the house and notices the subtle differences made in the time that she has been gone. In addition to the four deadlocks on the front door there are also two more on the back door. All of the blinds are drawn and have been since early this afternoon. The couch seems to have been moved giving more room to move freely to an exit point. There's a baseball bat leaning against the wall near the door and a lacrosse bat on the second landing. But with all of these little changes invisible to the naked eye the biggest change comes in the form of absolute terror rolling off of Brooke Davis in waves. She's back to hugging herself, eyes not quite meeting Rachels' gaze and you could almost see the wheels in her head trying to spin this situation.

"Brooke" Rachel says softly, taking a step towards her friend. Brooke jumps slightly at the movement and Rachels' uncharacteristic tone.

"I'm fine. " she mutters and Rachel can't decide who she's trying to convince. "I just f fell is all" she stutters and Brooke Davis never stutters. Closing her eyes she blinks back the tears threatening to fall.

"Brooke, please you are so far from fine that it's not even funny. Tell me what happened." Standing in front of her broken friend she brushes a lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear and Brooke recoils from the contact. Suddenly angry Brooke pushes past Rachel and heads for the stairs.

"Look I told you what happened, don't get mad at me if you're too slow to follow the conversation." She's scared and she wants to lash out, she's hurt and she wants to hurt someone in return. She's been lying to her friends for days and she wants someone to call her on it but they don't. They think that if given the time she'll work it out on her own and will share when she's ready. But they're wrong, she doesn't want to be left to figure this out on her own because no matter what she does she can't wrap her mind around what has happened to her. She can't fathom how another human being can hurt someone in this manner and she can't stop blaming herself for not being able to properly defend herself.

"I'm tired I'm going to bed, " she says as she stomps off up the stairs " try not to pinch the silver while I'm asleep"

"Careful on those stairs, wouldn't want you to _fall_ and get another handprint on your fat ass."

Brooke stops and whirls around, she opens her mouth as if ready to lay into Rachel. Rachel holds her breath in anticipation but the words never come. Brooke heaves a deep sigh before turning back around.

"If your staying the night you can sleep in your old room," she says as she ascends the stairs " and don't forget to lock the doors."

Rachel stands alone in the living room fuming, "Just what the Hell did I miss."

"This is my life, I'm taking a stand!" she nods her head in the affirmative as she looks over the dark store. Turning towards the door she barely has time to scream as a dark figure leaps out of the shadows and forces her to step back. His hand connects with her face, knocking her back and into the floor display. She hit's the ground hard and before she can regain her senses he's on top of her pounding fiercely into her face and upper body. Her head ricochets off of the hardwood floor and there is a distinct ringing in her ears, she chokes on her own blood and can hear the sound of his panting as he grows tired from hitting her. She's relieved when he finally stops and the sounds of him smashing open the cash register echo throughout the room. He's fumbling around in the dark, shoving clothes into a sack so she uses his distraction to roll over onto her side and slowly inch her way to the door.

In the blink of an eye he's on her again, knees pressing into the back of her thighs, arms pinning her shoulders to the ground.

"Uh uh, sweetness just where do you think you're going huh?" grinding his pelvis into her backside, Brooke cringes. "Party's not over yet." His breath is hot and putrid against her cheek and all she can do is let out a desperate sob.

"Please, don't… just take the money, please don't.." her pleas go unanswered as the sound of him fiddling with his belt rings out. Everything hurts and she can barely breathe, his hand travels between her legs and she uses her last reserve of energy to try and buck him off of her. Her anguished pleas and his cackling laughter mixes into the air.

Jut when she resigns herself to the inevitable the grasp on her arms slacken, the large hands with the bruising grip morphs into small soft hands that are gently soothing away the pain. She's enveloped into a warm embrace and someone is whispering reassuring words into her ear. And for the first time since the attack Brooke feels safe.

Rachel lies in bed with her battered friend calming her from the horrific nightmare. As Brookes' whimpering slowly dies down Rachel vows to herself that she will get to the bottom of this and she won't leave Brookes' side until she's fully healed.

I want to change the world

Instead I sleep

I want to believe in more

Than you and me

But all that I know is I'm breathing

All I can do is keep breathing

All we can do is keep breathing, now

The distant sound of a foghorn pierces the early morning noises of the harbor. Rachel rubs her thumb in soothing circles on the bruises on Brookes hip. She knows Brooke is awake even with her back pressed to Rachel's chest. About ten minutes ago her breathing pattern changed from deep and steady to shallow and quick but she makes no move to acknowledge this until Brooke speaks. Ten hours ago while she was unpacking her suitcase in her old room she wondered just when the hell did Brooke start going to bed at eight o'clock when she heard distressing noises coming from across the hall. Peeking into the brightly lit bedroom she spotted Brooke asleep on her big bed in the throes of a nightmare. The sight of the beautiful brunettes tear stained face and wounded cries for help spurs her into action and the next thing she knows, Rachel is on the bed with a trembling Brooke in her arms begging an unknown assailant to just _'take the money and leave.'_

Rachel's heart broke as the desperate sobs wracked Brooke's small frame and she spent the rest of the night piecing together in her mind what must have happened.

"I have to get up soon" the raspy voice jerks her out of those disturbing thoughts. For a moment Rachel doesn't say anything, since Brooke hasn't pushed her hand away from their gentle ministrations she continues the soft caress. "Millicent isn't here so I've got to open up the store." She still doesn't move so Rachel takes this as an opportunity to delve deeper into this mystery.

"Do you want some help today since your short-handed?" she casually offers and she holds her breath when Brooke suddenly turns around to face her. She doesn't answer right away, studying Rachel's face searching for some sort of deception. Rachel puts on her best poker face and tries to hide her churning emotions under Brooke's penetrating stare.

"_You_ want to help out at the store?" she asks, incredously. Rachel rolls her eyes at Brooke's raised eyebrow.

"Why is that such a shock, who was it that slaved away every day for nearly two months helping you prepare for the very first store opening, huh?"

"That's right, you were the one standing next to me when all my dreams came true." She stares in wonder at her red headed friend thinking back on that glorious day years ago when the very first Clothes Over Bros store officially opened for business. They had done well that day, selling out of almost all of the high end pieces Victoria boasted, but all that mattered to Brooke was at the end of the night when Rachel smiling face ( a real smile, not a smirk ) pulled her into a hug and whispered how proud she was of her. Brooke sank into the embrace, her heart near bursting with happiness. After a while she reluctantly pulled back to see an emotionally open Rachel smiling softly at her, their faces inches apart. The loud clearing of a throat brought them back to their senses and they stepped back to see Victoria glaring at Rachel. Brooke was taken aback by that because Rachel seemed to be the only one of her friends that Victoria has ever seem to approve of, mainly because of her families wealth and social standing. Come to think of it, ever since that night Rachel's standing in Victoria's good graces slowly began to deteriorate. She didn't pick up on it right away, too dazzled by what her mother was dangling in front of her face, but that was the day when Victoria launched her diabolical campaign to get rid of the last of Brooke's close friends.

She is suddenly very aware of how their bodies are entwined and how she is not in the least bit uncomfortable in their current position. It feels right to have Rachel's arms wrapped tight around her waist and she feels that if there is one person who she could talk to without the fear of being judged, pitied, or made to feel like some sort of disgusting science project it's probably the person lying next to her. She so desperately wants to open up but there is a traffic jam from her brain to her mouth and she can't formulate the right words.

Rachel waits patiently as Brooke tries to gather her thoughts, she can see the frustration in her friends face when the words stall on her tongue. She has a vague idea about what may have happened but she needs to hear the words from Brooke in order to formulate a plan on how to help her friend. That comment about being there when her dreams came true caught Rachel off guard and has her wishing for things she knows will never be possible. At the very least she will earn back her friendship and all of the trust that Brooke has instilled in her over the years, starting with this one huge obstacle. Let is never be said that Rachel Gattina didn't enjoy a challenge.

"How about I make us some breakfast?" baby steps Gattina. Brooke's eyes light up like a child.

"Chocolate chip pancakes? And sunny-side up eggs extra running with bacon on the side and hash browns?" Rachel pretends to be put out by this laborious request.

"Sure, whatever fatass but don't complain to me when your ass is too big to fit through the door." she leans over and plants a quick kiss on Brooke's nose before climbing out of bed and heading for the door. Just as she's stepping out into the hallway she hears a faint, "Thanks skank." and continues to the kitchen.

All we can do is keep breathing

All we can do is keep breathing

Even though it's the same layout and design as every other C/B store in the franchise the Tree Hill location has a different feel then all the others. Maybe it was simply because this was the first time that she managed to pull one over on Victoria and create a successful endeavor despite Victoria's protest that a Tree Hill location was a waste of time, money and resources. Brooke used to feel proud when she walked through the door , she used to wake up every morning excited about standing behind a counter for hours or watching soap operas on the TV. when Jaime stopped by but now as she unlocks the front door and punches in the code on the security panel (yeah where the hell was that three days ago) her insides turn ice cold, she swallows back the bile rising in her throat as images of that night flashes before her eyes.

Rachel watches as Brooke's body stiffens as she walks into the store. Her hand shake as she reaches for the security panel and she takes several deep breathes in order to calm her nerves. 'So this is where it happened' she thinks looking around to see nothing out of the usual. This morning while Brooke was in the shower Haley called to remind Brooke that she was dropping off Jaime around lunch time and if the tutor mom was surprised by who answered Brooke's phone then she was definitely taken aback when Rachel ripped into her for not getting to the bottom of this shit.

"_How in the Hell can you people claim to be her best friends her family and not lift a finger to help her!" Rachel silently fumed. She was pacing the kitchen desperately trying to keep her voice down in case Brooke overhears her._

"_Look Rachel," Haley spat over the phone " all I know is that Peyton said she fell down the stairs and I didn't see her until yesterday. Both she and Peyton has assured us over and over again that she is fine and I…""Fine? She's not Fucking fine! She didn't fall down the Fucking stairs! Any short bus seat warmer could tell you that she's drowning yet you all swallow that lame ass excuse. Idiots!"_

"_Well last time I checked Rachel you weren't about to win the BFF award of the year either more like about to get tossed in jail for grand larceny and impersonating a human being." As much s she tries not to let it Haley's words cut deep. She knows what she did was shitty but she's not about to let Haley off the hook about Brooke._

"_Whatever tutor bitch, I don't have time to argue with your incompetent ass, Brooke's getting out of the shower and we need to get to the store to open up for the day.""Yeah, well just remember that the money goes into the cash register and not your purse!" and with that Haley hangs up leaving Rachel to ponder a way to reach through the phone lines and strangle someone. _

Rachel watches Brooke as she stares at a spot on the floor near the front of the store, she's silent for what seems like an eternity and Rachel cannot understand how someone who feels the need to share just about every outrageous thought that enters her mind has trouble talking about anything dealing with real emotions. Brooke kneels down and waves her had over a section of the floor that looks as though it has been scrubbed clean with a harsh cleanser. Rachel squats down next to her.

"What happened here Brooke?" she asks softly, and for a fraction of a second Brooke considers lying but something in Rachel's tone tells her it would be futile because she already knows but simply wants a confirmation.

Taking a deep breath Brooke launches into the twisted tale of how her mother threatened to take away the company that she has poured her heart and soul into and what happened three nights ago in this very room. Rachel listens intently, cursing Victoria in all the right places and squeezing Brooke's hand when she needs the strength to continue. She is overcome in a fit of sobs when she gets to the part when the burglar has her pinned to the floor and stops for ten excruciating minutes before she is able to speak again. Rachel heaves a sigh of relief at hearing that a passing fire truck and sirens interrupted the bastard before he could take thing further. Rachel is appalled to hear how Brooke dragged her broke body home to an empty house and how she has chosen to deal with this attack.

"I still say that you should have called the cops.""What difference would it have made? He was wearing gloves and a ski mask and he didn't…. you know, so there wasn't any physical evidence. Besides, Voldemortoria would have just used this as an excuse that the Tree Hill store was a bad idea from the beginning." Knowing that she had a point Rachel still didn't like the idea of this nutcase running loose out there or the fact that he may come back to finish the job, so to speak.

"Okay, one thing at a time, first we need to call George, CeeCee, Lauren and any other board member that may be on our side and toss a wrench in She Who Must Not Be Named's plans. Next, we'll hire a security guard and extra help around here. And lastly, I know you're probably going to object but you need to see a doctor to make sure there's no permanent damage done to your writs and it'll be a idea to see a shrink as well.." Brooke opens her mouth to protest but Rachel quickly silences her.

"Seriously Brooke, if you say you're fine one more time I'm gonna scream.""I may not be 100," Brooke concedes "but I'm dealing with this."

"Please, going to the gun range with _Big Bad Mama Deb is not healthy. Bottling up all of your anger is how people develop drug habits, trust me." Brooke considers her options of wallowing in the dark or fighting her way back towards the light and with a firm nod Rachel is pulling her into a much needed hug._

"_It'll be rough Brookie but I'm here for you."_

_All we can do is keep breathing_

_All we can do is keep breathing, now_

_a/n: I had another part of this story that explained where Rachel has been and why she chose now to return to Tree Hill but it would have made this story too long and would have overshadowed what Brooke was going through. But for those of you who are wondering, I'd written a sidebar about Rachel going to that party in South Beach (I think ) and while she was at the party some girl overdosed in the bathroom and everyone just kind of left her there. Rachel watches the girl die and starts to think was there to help her when she had almost died. So she leaves Florida, checks into rehab and in her therapy sessions makes amends with her family and then goes to make amends with Brooke. That was the speech she was practicing in the car but never got to say because she chose to put Brooke's issues ahead of her own. _


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: I love Victoria, she is so deliciously wicked and Daphne Zuniga played the Hell out of that part. If it wasn't for the fact that she hurt Brooke I would totally be rooting for her. (Hey I dig villains, what can I say?) This is a sequel to my one-shot Keep Breathing, I considered making it a multi-chaptered fic but I have the shortest attention span known to man and if I trapped myself into writing several chapters I doubt I would be able to finish a story. So, you can read Keep Breathing first because it sort of explains the Brooke/Rachel part and don't worry about the rating M, there's no graphic sex or anything Rachel just has a potty mouth and I aired on the side of caution. The Title and lyrics are from Natalie Merchant's song My Skin. Enjoy!

**My Skin**

Take a look at my body

Look at my hands

There's so much here that I don't understand

Your face saving promises

Whispered like prayers

I don't need them, I don't need them

It's been nineteen days since the attack, sixteen days since Rachel returned, thirteen days since she began therapy and Brooke is finally beginning to feel comfortable in her own skin. The bruises on her face have faded completely and while the internal damage to her psyche will take a bit longer to heal she's optimistic.

Rachel, as promised, has been by her side the entire time, literally. She's been helping out at the store everyday, she takes Brooke to all of her therapy sessions, she put the kibosh on the gun range but has signed them both up for Tae Kwon Do lessons and every night when Brooke falls asleep Rachel is laying right next to her.

Today was a particularly grueling therapy session, she had voiced the one question that has plagued her her entire life: Why doesn't her mother love her? At first her therapist gave a short laugh,

"Surely that mustn't be the case." she stated, but then Brooke dredged up every memory from her parentless upbringing, like the time when she was nine and her parents had gone away on a business trip for three weeks. Now normally this wouldn't be cause for alarm except for the fact that Victoria fired the nanny and didn't hire a replacement before they left. It took three days before Brooke swallowed her pride and went over to Peyton's house before she died from starvation. But the real kicker is when her parents finally returned home Brooke received a lecture on how not to go spreading family business all over town. Suffice to say by the end of her therapy session the good doctor sat open mouthed completely baffled on how Victoria could live with herself.

"Have you spoken to Brooke lately?" Deb asks the occupants of the kitchen, "We were suppose to have lunch yesterday but she cancelled."

"Since the red headed menace blew back into town it's next to impossible to get Brooke alone for a minute." Haley grumbles. Deb does a double take at the amount of venom in her daughter-in-laws tone.

"Well I for one am glad that Rachel is back." When Haley shoots him a death glare Nathan is quick to add "At least now Brooke isn't all alone in that house, I'm glad she's back for Brooke's sake and I love my beautiful and forgiving wife." he finishes with a nervous glance to said wife. Haley scoffs before turning her attention back to Deb.

"I invited Brooke over for dinner tonight so we can help Peyton with her wedding plans, if you can separate her from her shadow long enough then maybe we can finally figure out what's been going on with her lately."

"I like Aunt Rachel." Jamie pipes up out of the blue. "When she's around Aunt Brooke smiles a lot more."

"Don't call her Aunt Rachel, that…woman is in no way related to any of us sweetie."

" But Aunt Peyton isn't related to us either momma and you still tell me to call _her_ Aunt Peyton."

"Well…that's different, Peyton is a very good friend of the family."

"Well _Rachel_ is a very good friend of _Aunt Brooke _and any friend of Aunt Brooke is a friend of mine."

Nathan laughs into his juice cup, pouring cream into her coffee Deb simply shrugs at Haley who for the life of her can't seem to find fault in her five year olds logic.

I've been treated so wrong

I've been treated so long

As if I'm becoming untouchable

I'm a slow dying flower

Frost killing hour

The sweet turning sour

And untouchable

Pushing her shoulders back and defiantly lifting her chin as she steps out of her town car Victoria Davis is the epitome of a chic, sophisticated New York businesswoman. She has yearned for this her entire life and until recently she thought the day would never come. Ever since she was a little girl she dreamed of having her own successful fashion line. Her dreams were sidelined when she married that good for nothing bastard Charles and got saddled with an unwanted child. Once she had gotten fat and his dreams of a son to carry on his legacy fell through _Mr. Viagra _proceeded to live the cliché and screw every secretary, nanny and maid that crossed his path. He stole her youth, made her the laughing stock of the Yacht Club when he lost his job and all of their money just barely redeeming himself when they moved to California to a bigger better house. But soon she grew bored with playing the perfect stepford wife and took a lover of her own, oh the look on his face when he caught her with Ramón was priceless.

Victoria panicked when Charles informed her that he would seek a divorce and she would not see one dime of his money, luckily salvation came in the least expected of places. Who would have thought that a phone call from the bane of her existence would bring back all of her long lost dreams. Funny, how the universe works, here was Brooke her wayward child, the person responsible for her failing marriage offering a partnership in her clothing line Clothes Over Bros ( what a tacky name ) and to her astonishment the girl had talent for something other than laying on her back.

A few face saving promises and the girl was eating out of her hands, so desperate to receive her mother's approval that she cut off almost all contact with her supposed friends. Victoria nearly had everything she could wish for but no mattered how much control she had over Brooke and Davis Enterprises she still didn't command the spotlight. That was reserved for the gorgeous young woman who would flash a dimpled smile and have everyone falling all over themselves to get near her, totally forgetting that it was Victoria's savvy that put the fledgling company on top.

No matter, she didn't have to wait for very long, she gave Brooke just enough rope to hang herself and when her darling daughters back was turned she swooped in for the kill and secured her future as CEO and President of Clothes Over Bros. The board meeting this morning was a mere formality, she had proven how incompetent Brooke was when it came to business matters and put the brakes on the Baby Brooke line ( children's clothes, God help us all! ) and still managed to keep the Macy's contract.

Yes, Victoria may have ended her marriage of twenty- one years, she may have alienated her only child by stealing the company right from under Brooke but she was finally getting what she has always wanted. Because for Victoria Davis life has never been about a loving family or caring friends. It's not about right. It's not about wrong.

"It's about power." she says as she steps off the elevator and makes her way to Conference Room A.

"Alright, if everyone is present then we can get…" Victoria stops short as she pushes open the door to the room the board meeting was being held in by the sight of her daughter Brooke swiveling around in _Her _chair at the head of the long table to face her.

"Good morning Mother, so nice of you to finally join us, " her raspy voice saccharine sweet "please take a seat and I'll catch you up on what you've missed." She waves a hand towards a seat in the middle of the table, a spot that Victoria once dubbed the loser seat.

Every eye in the room is focused solely on Victoria, waiting for her to take that long journey down the left side of the room. As she settles into her crowded placement, unnecessarily elbowing the man on her left with as much grace as anyone in her predicament can muster, she takes notice that many of the boards _Power Players _are seated on Brooke's right hand side, including a couple of faces she had hoped never to see again.

Rachel doesn't even bother to hide her smirk at Victoria's reaction to the new seating chart. Brooke throws her a wink and Rachel merely shakes her head at the other girls theatrics. _Seriously Brooke, the old chair swivel move? You might as well have been stroking a fluffy white cat on your lap and announced 'Behold my evil walking death ray.'_

" Now, CeeCee if you would be so kind as to enlighten Victoria on what we have been discussing before she arrived." Brooke addressed a woman in her early sixties impeccably dressed in a custom made B. Davis power suit.

"My pleasure dear," she replies, before turning to address the room as a whole. Victoria had never liked CeeCee Van der Woodsen mainly for the simple fact that CeeCee adores Brooke and never fails to invite Brooke to her extremely exclusive brunches. "The board has recognized Victoria, all of the hard work that you have put into this company and we acknowledge that had it not been for your foresight then Clothes Over Bros and Davis Enterprises would not have reached the Forbs Top Ten list and remained in that spot for the past three quarters."

At this open praise Victoria smiles and prepares to deliver her acceptance speech. Yet her face falls as CeeCee continues to speak.

"However, in light of your accomplishments we have decided that the future of this company will be better left in the hands of founder Brooke Davis.""What!" Victoria's shout could be heard down the hall and several staff members heads shoot up and towards the closed conference door.

"In addition to the fabulous new children's line," CeeCee gushes, "Brooke and Miss. Gattina have come up with a rather brilliant new level for this company." At this, Millicent steps forward, flipping over several poster boards to reveal pictures of _**B. Davis Cosmetics**_.

Victoria sits motionless in her crowded seat, seething with righteous indignation.

"I never approved of this new venture." she says haughtily.

"Quite right Mother, you had nothing whatsoever to do with this new project and that is why my new _silent_ partner has agreed to provide the start up capital."

Tearing her eyes away from her ungrateful demon spawn, Victoria faces the man seated two chairs down from Brooke. "_**Charles**_." she all but growls.

"Victoria, always a pleasure." Charles Davis drawls and has the audacity to be enjoying her dethronement.


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n: Okay, I am officially on a roll. Here is the third part of my little Brachel series. If you want to read the first two it may clarify a few references made in this part. __**Keep Breathing **__is set before the Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly episode and the slight difference is that Nathan didn't have the talk with Brooke and instead Rachel is the one who gets through to her and gets her to seek help. I'm kinda bummed because I loved the scene at the end where Brooke breaks down and Jaime takes her hand but I've hopefully made up for it with a few Braime moments in this fic. The second fic __**My Skin**__, is Victoria centric and as much as I hated to do it she had to be taken down. Oh, and if you're wondering that line "It's not about right. It's not about wrong. It's about power." is from episode 7,01 __Lessons_ of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I totally forgot to give credit to Joss Whedon and crew. The title and song is The Story by Brandi Carlilie.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, songs, what have you…..

**The Story**

_All of these lines across my face_

_Tell you the story of who I am_

_So many stories of where I've been_

_And how I got to where I am_

_But these stories don't mean anything_

_When you've got no one to tell them to_

_It's true, I was made for you_

"Mmm, Hales either that roast looks damn good or I've been living off of Hot Pockets for far too long." Skillz states as Haley pulls the main course out of the oven.

"Probably a little of both." Haley laughs, swatting his hands away from trying to steal a piece of the meat she's slicing. "Ah, we'll be eating as soon as everyone arrives."

"Is Aunt Brooke and Aunt Rachel coming tonight momma?" Jaime asks, his face lighting up at the prospect of seeing his beloved godmother and friend.

"_Rachel?" _Skillz questions, his thick eyebrows shooting up towards his bald head. Haley simply gives him a don't ask look before pasting a smile on her face and answering Jaime.

"Yes, baby I invited Brooke to dinner and since Rachel seems to be attached to her hip nowadays I suppose she'll be here as well."

"Great," he exclaims, "I'm gonna go put on the shirt Aunt Brooke designed just for me. She says it's part of her exclusive Braime collection." Jaime quickly jumps off of his stool and rushes upstairs to put on his new treasure. Both adults laugh at how excited the five year old gets over the idea that the famous Brooke Davis has made something just for him.

"You alright with Big Red being here?" Skillz questions once Jaime is out of earshot.

"Well I suppose I've got no choice but to be o.k. with it, you know? Brooke and Rachel appear to be a package deal lately, so if you want one you've got to put up with the other." Haley sighs, it's been a while since she's had one on one time with her _Tigger _and with the mystery surrounding Brooke's injuries somewhat still unresolved she was hoping that if she got Brooke alone her friend would open up. But no such luck, every time she drops by the store Rachel is there, she's living in Brooke's house again and they have been working on some huge top secret project lately and Haley barely gets a chance to ask Brooke about how she really got all banged up. The one good thing to come out of Rachel's constant hovering, Haley loathes to admit, is that Brooke is back to her old self again and not walking around like a zombie, shutting herself off from her friends like she did nearly three weeks ago.

Things have slowly began to calm down again after Quinton's tragic murder and even though her first responsibility was to make sure she helped her son and husband deal with this great loss, she feels guilty that she didn't try harder to reach out to Brooke when it was obvious she needed a friend. That angry conversation she had with Rachel a few weeks ago only proved how clueless she had been when she swallowed that lie about Brooke falling down the steps. At first she had been royally pissed at Rachel for insinuating that she has been a crappy friend to Brooke but when Millicent unexpectantly arrived home and told her that Victoria has been plotting to take away Brooke's company, Haley had no choice but to admit that she has fallen out of touch with her closest friend.

"Yeah, well don't sweat it, if she tries to make a move on Nate, I've got your back Haley J. Scott." he pats her shoulder and Haley affectionately covers his hand with hers.

"Thanks Skills.""You know me." He says, backing out of the kitchen and heading towards Deb as she comes downstairs. The egg timer goes off and Haley puts back on the oven mitts to take the potatoes out of the oven.

_I climbed across the mountaintops_

_Swam all across the ocean blues_

_I crossed all the lines _

_and I broke all the rules_

_And baby I broke them all for you_

_Because even when I was flat broke_

_You made me feel like a million bucks_

_You do, I was made for you_

"You ready for this?" Rachel asks an apprehensive looking Brooke as they walk up to the front door of Nathan and Haley's home. Brooke takes a deep breath before ringing the door bell.

"Not really no, but it's way past time that I've come clean with them. Remember what my therapist said about letting go of all of the anger and secrets being the only way that I can truly begin to heal. Now that I've dealt with the Victoria issue I can tell them about the attack and finally put all this shit to rest."

Brooke nods her head confidently and Rachel bursts out laughing, Brooke looks at her sharply.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"Nothing, I was just remembering the look on Victoria's face when the board gave her _boney ass _the boot this morning."

Unable to hold back Brooke joins in and soon her melodious laughs mingle with Rachel's and it feels so good to be able to enjoy happy moments like these, even if the laughter is at her mothers expense.

The door swings open and before she knows it her arms are filled with 45 pounds of bubbly blond five year old boy.

"Aunt Brooke Aunt Rachel you came!" Jamie squeals, hugging Brooke tight around her neck.

"Of course we did handsome," pulling back from the embrace she plants a sloppy kiss to his forehead. "would I ever break a promise to my most favorite guy in the whole wide world?" Jamie giggles at the thought of being Brooke's favorite guy.

"Look, I'm wearing the special shirt you made me." He pulls on the collar of the baby blue oxford shirt to show her the C/B Braime Collection logo on the tag. Brooke's smile widens at the proud look he has at having his own custom made shirt.

"And you wear it very well Little J. " Rachel leans over to give him a hug. "I'd say we've got ourselves a future model for C/B here Brookie."

"Yup, every father's dream is to see their only son prancing around on the catwalk.'" Nathan jokes, opening the door further to let in the new arrivals.

"Finally, yall are here now we can eat." Skillz proclaims, standing up to put away the video game he and Lucas were playing.

"Nice to see you too Skillz." Rachel smirks, "how's Bevin?" Skillz glowers at the new comer before setting off to inform Haley that Brooke has arrived. "Something I said?" she innocently asks Nathan, he just shakes his head and leads them into the house. Brooke hip-bumps Rachel and gives her a playful warning.

"Behave yourself tonight." "Fine, whatever." Rachel scoffs, she bumps Brooke's hip back in retaliation and the two share a secret smile. "After this morning I'm feeling too good to let anything bring me down." Reaching out she pushes a lock of Brooke's hair behind her ear and smiles brightly when Brooke doesn't pull back. The moment is broken as Haley and Peyton approaches the pair.

"Brooke, Rachel so glad you two could join us." Haley says somewhat stiffly as she tries to ignore Rachel's presence.

"Thanks for the invite Hales', it's been far too long since I've hanged with my main man Jimmy Jam!" tickling the little boy in her arms and laughing hysterically, Haley can't help but notice the huge difference in her friends demeanor. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Rachel staring at the pair fondly. _'But I'll be damned if I apologize to that bitch.' _

Clearing her throat, Peyton steps closer to her old roommate. "It's good to see you looking well Brooke, " she says a bit awkwardly, "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me or something. I mean ever since Lucas and I got engaged…" she trails off as Rachel snorts

"Cause it's all about Peyton." she says under her breath and she doesn't even have to look at Brooke to know that the brunette is shooting her another warning.

"There's just been a lot going on with me and work lately Peyt, " Brooke tries to assure her friend who technically should be the one soothing her right about now, " but if you've got some time later I have a few sketches for your wedding dress….""Oh my God really, Brooke you're the best." and as Peyton began to prattle on about her tacky punk rock ideas for her wedding, Rachel gives Brooke's arm a reassuring squeeze and excuses herself to go talk to Mouth and Millicent.

Rachel's exit provides Haley with a golden opportunity, if she could just get Peyton to shut up for five seconds about walking down the aisle to an old Billy Idol song instead of the traditional wedding march.

'_Good Lord I hope she's joking, then again it is Peyton.'_

"Hey Jamie, honey why don't you go round up the guys and tell them that dinner will be served in a minute. "

"Okay momma." Jamie reluctantly slides out of Brooke's arms and goes off in search of his dad and uncles to relay his moms message.

'_Damn, ' _Brooke thinks _" now that both my human shields Jamie and Rachel are gone Haley is going to press me for answers. Better cut her off now before she gets started.'_

"My store was robbed three weeks ago." Brooke blurts out taking both Haley and Peyton by surprise by how easily she caved. "It was some freak in a ski mask, he stole the evening bank deposit, some clothes and he…he beat me up pretty bad." There, now it's all out and she can start to put this whole ordeal behind her.

"Oh my God Brooke," Haley pulls her into a hug tears forming in her eyes. " Are you okay now, I mean did you call the police?""I thought you said you fell down the stairs?" Peyton asks totally confused. Haley pulls out of the hug long enough to throw Peyton a patented _Dumb Blonde _look before embracing Brooke again.

"To answer your question Hales," Brooke replies deciding to ignore Peyton's brain fart, "no I didn't call the cops. Look Victoria and I at the time were fighting for control over the company. I was sure that if I filed a police report she would find some way to use this against me and push me out of my own company."

"Forget about the company Brooke you were robbed, beaten and ?", Haley left the question hanging in the air.

"No, he didn't get the chance to… do _that." _Brooke's voice is small as she fills in the blanks. Haley gives her another hug and it feels like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. "Enough of all this depressing talk, dinner smells amazing and I'm starved." knowing that she's not going to get off the hook for keeping this a secret for so long she adds. "We'll have lunch tomorrow Hales'." and follows Peyton into the dining room.

Dinner, for the most part, is a pleasant event. Jamie plants himself down next to his Auntie Brooke and talks her ear off most of the night about his pet rabbit Chester. Deb gets up to take the little guy to bed and he surprises everyone by requesting to be tucked in by both Aunt Brooke _and_ Aunt Rachel. After two bedtime stories Little J is off to dreamland and Brooke and Rachel join the others in the living room for a nightcap. When Rachel declines the proffered glass of wine Haley gives her a bewildered look.

"Rachel Gattina's turning down a drink." she says in disbelief.

"Well I am a recovering addict, my sponsor tends to frown upon the consumption of alcoholic beverages." she snaps back and Haley at least has the good graces to look sheepish.

"Sorry, um congratulations on the sobriety. Can I get you something else?" the room is filled with tension no one knowing quite what to say. The biggest party girl in Tree Hill High is now sipping cranberry juice without an ounce of alcohol in the glass. Mouth, ever the nice guy decides to start back up the conversation.

"So Brooke, " he clears his throat, catching the brunettes attention "Millie tells me that the Bravo Channel wants to build a reality show around you.""Cool B, you sat here all night with news like that and didn't share." Nathan asks. Grateful to take the spotlight off of Rachel, Brooke smiles and indulges her friends.

"Yeah, they've been making offers ever since I did the guest judge spot on _Project Runway _last year, they even offered me Nina Garcia's chair after her contract was up but Victoria ever the control freak, didn't want me to be outshined by Heidi, or some other nonsense. Right now Rachel's in talks with maybe working something around _B. Davis Cosmetics , _like a behind the scenes, start-up of a new company type of thing_ ."_

"Or maybe a contest for an intern who would be working in all three aspects of _Davis Enterprises; _C/B and B. Davis the magazine and cosmetics." Rachel inserts, "I'm still hammering out the details but as long as it's nothing like _Hey Paula_, I think we should be o.k."

"Oh my God! I freaking loved that show, _'People need to start treating me like the treasure that I am' ", _Brooke giggles at her spot on imitation of Paula Abdul.

"I swear if you start making me call you _The Treasure, _I'm gonna quit right now."

"Oh please, as if you'd ever leave me, skank.""Awfully full of yourself aren't you? Keep it up Fatass!" Brooke snuggles closer as Rachel wraps her arm around Brooke's shoulder, reaching up her hand and entwining their fingers together. The room goes silent again, watching the duos playful banter and gentle caresses that linger far longer than to be considered friendly.

"Hey Brooke," Peyton interjects in a dreamy voice, "If you need an idea for your show you can always do it about mine and Lucas' wedding."

Brooke pinches Rachel's leg hard as the red head opens her mouth to say, what Brooke is certain will be a very accurate but scathing remark. Rachel pouts and looks down at Brooke, "Ruin all my fun why don't you."

And even Haley has to admit she can't wait for this damned _Pucus wedding to be over and done with. _

_You see the smile that's on my mouth_

_It's hiding the words that don't come out_

_All of our friends think that I'm blessed_

_They don't know my head is a mess_

_No, they don't know who I really am_

_And they don't know what I've been through_

_Like you do, I was made for you_


	4. Chapter 4

_a/n: o.k. here is the latest of my Brachel series, I want to thank everyone for their amazing reviews of the previous three installments, really I was grateful to even receive just one, lol. I promise to keep the Peyton bashing down to a minimum, I actually sorta kinda like her but come on, sometimes the girl just makes it sooo easy to take the cheap shots, lol. After I'm finished I'll post the whole thing on my livejournal page and clean it up a bit, for some reason the entire last chapter was underlined and it wouldn't let me erase the chapter so I could fix it, whatever. Oh, someone mentioned that Haley was really irritated by Rachel's presence, well you have to remember all of the cattiness between them in high school over Nate and the stolen calculus tests. Rachel stealing all that money from Brooke and just disappearing for months then the argument they had on the phone in Keep Breathing. It's funny how on the show Haley can forgive everyone except for Rachel but what are you gonna do, right? The title and song is Little Wonders by Rob Thomas, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: all characters belong to Schwann and co._

_**Little Wonders**_

_Let it go_

_Let it roll right off your shoulder_

_Don't you know_

_The hardest part is over_

_Let it in_

_Let your clarity define you _

_In the end_

_We will only just remember how it feels_

_The weather is surprisingly warm for this time of year so Haley suggests that she and Brooke have lunch out on the quad at Tree Hill High. Setting her cob salad down on the table farthest away from the students mingling about Haley rolls her eyes at the commotion Brooke's presence is causing amongst the male population._

"_I don't know why I thought it'd be any different now that we've graduated high school."_

"_What do you mean?" Brooke asks, following Haley's gaze behind her she spots a group of teenage boys, football players by the looks of their letterman jackets, ogling her. Never one to pass up an opportunity to flirt she throws them a wink and a dimpled smile before turning back to her lunch companion._

"_So explain to me again exactly why you don't eat in the teachers lounge, I'd always assumed that place would be like Mecca to a teacher's pet like you."_

"_For the same reason you shouldn't go backstage at the Ice Capades."_

"_What, did you see Big Bird making out with Snuffy?"_

"_More like Miss Edwards shamelessly throwing herself at Principle Turner."_

_"Well that's a lost cause, according to Rachel, Principle Turner is gay."_

"_Speaking of the she-devil, what's up with you two lately?" if Haley hadn't known Brooke as well as she did she wouldn't have recognized the classic Brooke Davis avoidance techniques. Brooke adverts her eyes, flips her hair over her shoulder before haughtily responding " I don't know what your talking about." and taking a bite of her Cesar salad._

"_Last night at dinner, all of the little touches and secret smiles, plus this is the first time I've seen you two apart since she came back into town. I'm half expecting her to be squatting in the bushes nearby."_

"_Rachel and I are…friends and how do you __half _expect something anyway?"

"Just friends as in Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway or _Gale and Oprah_?"

"And what, pray tell are you implying tutor wife?"

"She's asking if there's substance behind your lesbionic undertones with this Rachel chick." a voice interrupts them. Turning to see the young brown haired girl she caught shoplifting in her store a few weeks ago. The girl nervously eyes Brooke for a moment then rudely asks Haley, "What's so important that you wanted me to meet you during my lunch period?"

"Brooke I'd like you to meet Samantha Walters, Samantha this is my good friend Brooke Davis."

"So what, you dragged me away from eating just to prove how cool you are by introducing me to a pseudo celebrity?"

"No, I asked you to meet us here so that you may have the opportunity to pay restitution to Brooke for boosting the top your wearing before she has you arrested." turning to Brooke Haley continues, "you said yourself that you needed to hire more help at the store right?"

"Look, I don't need your charity." Samantha starts to back away but Haley stands up to stop her.

"Good because I'm not in a very charitable mood." Brooke dismisses the girl and goes back to eating.

"Brooke!' Haley admonishes

"_Haley!" _Brooke mocks in return, she tries to keep up her icy demeanor but soon caves under Haley's stern teacher expression. "I suppose I could use an extra pair of hands at the store in the afternoons. Between working on the sketches for the spring line and launching this new company I'm already stretched pretty thin. Millie's got to have someone there with her, preferably someone who won't try to pull a Wynona the second my back is turned." taking another look at the roguishly dressed girl wearing far too much eyeliner Brooke sighs, "So what do you say Avril, 4 p.m. today?"

"A choice between working in an enclosed space with her _highness_ for hours on end or locked away in prison with convicted criminals?" stretching her hands outward and balancing her palms like a scale, Samantha pretends to weigh her options. Brooke can't help but find amusement in the little snots antics.

"Hey, working in retail may be hell at times but if you've ever seen any of those '_Lifetime Women Behind Bars'_ movies I wouldn't take too long to make a decision, _New Fish_."

Haley merely shakes her head, wondering if she could get fired for threatening to have one of her students arrested for something that happened before she even attended this school. "So what do you say Samantha?"

Sam looks back and forth between the two women, working close to Brooke Davis at Close Over Bros would be the dream job of every girl in this school but to Sam it would mean a solution to quite a few of her problems. Hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder she feigns indifference, "Yeah, whatever but make it 4:30 I've got stuff to do." and then she is gone.

"Well that didn't go half as bad as I expected." Haley takes her seat and resumes eating.

"I'm no longer speaking to you." Brooke childishly turns her head away from Haley

"You just did." Haley points out.

"Well, from this moment on, then"

"Still talking." Haley taunts, causing Brooke to throw a crouton at her .

Our lives are made

In these small hours

These little wonders

These twist and turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These small hours still remain

Standing in front of a store she thought she'd never be able to enter again, Sam wipes her sweaty palms on her pants and takes deep breathes to settle her nerves. 'Just relax,' she tells herself 'you only swiped a few shirts, you'll go inside, work off your debt and keep your head down. Don't engage in conversation and everything will be fine.'

Spying the young girl through the window Millicent anxiously calls over to her boss, "Um Brooke, that weirdly aggressive shoplifter is back, should I have Bruno handle it?" Bruno, the new security guard steps closer to the door, hand resting on his nightstick, ready for action but Brooke waves him off.

"No need, I'm expecting her."

"You are?" Millicent asks

"Yeah, she's part of Haley's _no delinquent left behind _outreach program." Brooke puts the finishing touches on the mannequin she was dressing and goes to meet Samantha as she enters the store. "You're late, Avril."

"It's 4:32, " Sam says, checking her watch "and my name is Sam, _princess_." Brooke smirks at the girls nerve.

"Alright, Millicent this cheery little ball of sunshine here is _Avril," _Brooke says with a playful wink_, " _she's going to be helping us out with inventory tonight. Could you please give her a tour of the stockroom while I audit the register?" Millie hesitates as she watches the evil eye stare-off between Brooke and the new girl, finally deciding that the sooner she gets started the sooner she could leave, Sam turns an impatient look to Millie who then quickly leads her to the back room.

"What is wrong with these kids today? I was never that rude in high school Bruno." Bruno wisely keeps his mouth shut but he can't help leering at his employer as she returns to the register.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Three hours,' Sam grumbles 'I've been trapped in stockroom Purgatory for three freaking hours! This has got to be violating some sort of child labor laws.' Stepping off of the ladder Sam puts down her clipboard and rubs her tired eyes. 'Still it beats the alternative.'

"Hey Avril!" the annoyingly raspy voice calls from the other room, "Foods here come eat." Sam considers for a second denying that she's hungry and skipping out but at that moment her stomach decides to rebel against her and growls so loud she's sure they can hear it in the next room.

Shuffling out onto the main floor, she's greeted by the site of _Her Royal Pain in the Ass _and a unfamiliar red head sitting on a blanket spread out on the ground. They're unpacking nearly a dozen white Chinese food take-out boxes and Brooke sets up a cutlery place setting right next to her, patting the ground for Sam to sit like she's some kind of well trained pet. Sam continues to stand in place a minute longer just to spite the older girl but Brooke just rolls her eyes and focuses her attention on the red head who seems to be enjoying the show.

"You got something against P.F. Chang's kid?" the red head smirks, looking back and forth between Brooke and Sam.

"Well this looks like such a romantic layout, I'd hate to crash your date."

"Are you always this charming Avril?"

"Depends, are you always this obnoxious, Princess?"

"Okay kittens," the red head interrupts " retract the claws and Avril.."

"My name is Sam."

"Then take a seat Sam I Am, the food is getting cold." Sam sits down next to the red head, the lesser of the two evils, and picks up her chopsticks.

"So let me guess, your Rachel the _Friend."_ Sam uses her chopsticks to create air quotes around the word. Her statement appears to piss Brooke off and amuse Rachel.

"And you're the _New Fish _Brooke hired to work afternoons."

"Well I wasn't so much as hired as I was blackmailed into working here."

"Hey you do the crime, you do the time Avril," Brooke says giving her that annoyingly perfect dimpled smile, "Rach did you get any orange chicken?"

"Hot and spicy " she says, passing the carton over to Brooke with a wink

"Just how I like it." their fingers touch as Brooke takes the carton from Rachel and a blush creeps across her face.

"I know how to take care of my hoe, even got you white rice and extra fortune cookies."

"I knew there was a reason I kept your slutty ass around."

Sam nearly chokes on her mandarin chicken at the heated stares that pass between the two, "And you wonder why Mrs. James-Scott thinks your sleeping together." The words slip out of her mouth before she even has time to think. Brooke has a _deer caught in headlights_ look on her face but the unflappable Rachel simply shrugs, "We've been sleeping together every night for the past three weeks, pass to soy sauce please."

All of my regret

Will wash away somehow

But I cannot forget

The way I feel right now

"Urg, my feet are killing me," Rachel exclaims as she tumbles into bed beside Brooke, "the realtor must have shown me like a dozen spaces before I found the perfect set up for our new offices. It's this old warehouse down by the riverwalk that was renovated by an architecture firm that went belly up last spring, so I got it for a song. Their loss is our gain." stealing a glance at her silent bedmate she notices Brooke staring off into space, absentmindedly twisting the sheets in her hands. "Sorry if I'm boring you but I'm only talking about phase two being complete, we have our office space and now we can move on to hiring staff and getting ready for the launch.."

"Why'd you tell Avril that we're sleeping together" Brooke suddenly cuts her off.

"Um because we are?" Rachel dumbly waves her hand over the bed indicating that they have been sharing the same bed every night since she returned to town.

"Technically yes, but the way you said it insinuates that there was something… sexual about us sharing a bed. We barely know that girl, what if she runs off spouting to the press about us?"

"Okay first, tutor bitch wouldn't ask you to hire the kid if she thought there was any chance that Sam would sell all your juicy secrets to the tabloids. Second if you'd stop arguing with her you'd notice that underneath the snarky exterior she's actually a really cool kid and third there's nothing sexual about us sharing a bed, i.e. no gossip girl fodder to worry about." turning over onto her side facing away from Brooke, Rachel pulls the covers over her shoulders and attempts to burrow her face into the pillow. As Brooke turns off the bedside lamp and settles into bed the only sounds that can be heard are their light breathing and the waves gently hitting the docks outside.

"Are you disappointed?" Brooke softly asks a half hour later.

"That you're a paranoid nutcase? I came to terms with that back in high school."

"No, " Brooke replies, spooning Rachel from behind she slides her hand around Rachel's waist and buries her face in the crook of Rachel's neck, "are you disappointed that there's nothing sexual about us sharing a bed?"

There is a sharp pain in Rachel's chest as her heart suddenly stops then starts to beat double time, "Do you _want there to be something sexual about us_ sharing a bed, Brooke?" her voice is scratchy and her throat is dry. Brooke tightens her grip around Rachel's waist and Rachel can feel the other girls heart beating just as erratically as her own.

"These last few months have been… you have no idea how glad I am that you came back Rachel. And not just because you've helped me deal with the attack and all of my demented momma drama. You know, I wanted to adopt a baby and whenever someone would ask me why I told them it was because I had all of this love inside of me just bursting to be let out and I wanted someone to love me just as much in return. But you want to know the really ironic thing?" she pauses as a tear slides down her beautiful face and drifts down Rachel's neck "I think I already had that but …but I left it in New York months ago. I listened to my mother instead of my heart and I let go of the one thing, the one person that makes me whole." her tears are falling in a steady stream now and Rachel can no longer bear it. In an instant she turns and pulls Brooke into her arms as the girl's sobs wrack her small frame. Running her fingers through the silky chocolate locks she tips her head back until she is staring into shiny hazel eyes.

"I'm so sorry that I left Brooke, I swear that if I ever do again then you have my permission to push me down the stairs." Brooke closes her eyes and laughs, Rachel leans over and kisses her eyelids. When Brooke makes no move to pull away Rachel tilts her head further and softly their lips connect. She inhales sharply at first contact and it feels like every nerve ending in her body has been electrocuted.

Brooke moans deep in the back of her throat as Rachel's tongue sweeps across her lips seeking entrance. Once entrance has been granted Rachel's tongue teases Brooke, darting in and out of her mouth, reigning dominate one moment then submissive the next, leave it to Rachel to constantly keep her guessing. When her lungs began to burn for lack of oxygen they break the mind numbing kiss and pull back to stare wide eyed at one another, breathing heavily.

"I know I'm a damn good kisser Brooke but do you have to wear that goofy ass look on your face.?"

"My face is simply a reflection of yours." they're quiet for a moment and Rachel reads the unspoken question in her eyes.

"We'll take it slow, I'm not going anywhere Brookie." she says, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I should think not, I seem to recall having permission to push your skanky ass down the stairs if you do."

"Whatever whore, now go to sleep we've got a busy day tomorrow." and with that they snuggle under the covers wrapped in each others arms.

A/N: I know I'm probably going to catch hell about the Oprah comment but I needed a comparison to really close friends who may or may not be dating and they were the first to pop up in my head. So don't get mad, this is fan fiction here and plus I'm writing this at 4:10 in the morning. Besides, Kathy Griffith uses that joke in her act all the time so if you want to flame someone start with her, lol.


End file.
